Do you feel like you're fit?
Sued0nim
Posts: 17,456 Member
When I started last June I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was horribly unfit. I would avoid certain routes to the shops so I didn't have to walk on a slight gradient, I would get out of breath easily and generally lazed around a lot .. a whole lot
I am now in a different place .. I walk a lot, I workout, hard, 3 times a week .. once a week with a trainer .. and I know I've progressed hugely in terms of stamina and strength and can do stuff I would never have dreamed possible.
But I'm not sure if I see myself as fit yet, partly because a PTs job is to continue to push you so each session I feel like I'm on the edge of 'I just can't do this' at some point. When asked my PT says I'm fit and he's pushing me hard, but we have a weird old jokey relationship so it's always couched in some kind of funny insult or sarcasm
... but I still wonder, am I now fit? I know it's a personal scale.
What is it that tells you you're fit?
I am now in a different place .. I walk a lot, I workout, hard, 3 times a week .. once a week with a trainer .. and I know I've progressed hugely in terms of stamina and strength and can do stuff I would never have dreamed possible.
But I'm not sure if I see myself as fit yet, partly because a PTs job is to continue to push you so each session I feel like I'm on the edge of 'I just can't do this' at some point. When asked my PT says I'm fit and he's pushing me hard, but we have a weird old jokey relationship so it's always couched in some kind of funny insult or sarcasm
... but I still wonder, am I now fit? I know it's a personal scale.What is it that tells you you're fit?
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Replies
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Compared to the 'average' person, yes I am fit... compared to people on here, nooooooooooooooooo!!!!0
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TavistockToad wrote: »Compared to the 'average' person, yes I am fit... compared to people on here, nooooooooooooooooo!!!!
how do you judge it?
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Compared to the small pool of people I know, I'm definitely one of the fitter ones. However I still feel unfit compared to my 3.5 hour marathon-running friend, and my brother's girlfriend who is a spinning teacher. It's relative I think.
I am definitely 100x fitter than I was 5 years ago (and I can see a vast improvement from even 18 months ago), which is the important thing to me.0 -
Ha yes, as TavistockToad says it really is all relative. I consider myself quite fit compared to my co-workers and friends, but compared to people at my gym? Nowhere near.
What tells me that I am fit, personally? Being able to go further, longer, harder on both workouts and day-to-day tasks that I could have ever considered before. Everything is easier to do because my body is better equipped.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Compared to the 'average' person, yes I am fit... compared to people on here, nooooooooooooooooo!!!!
how do you judge it?
well the average person I know does little to no exercise, so I automatically win by working out 3-5 times a week!0 -
Actually I think it's the little things that make me realize how much fitter I am than I used to be, and indeed compared to the people around me. For example my daughter weighs 27kg and I can easily scoop her up in my arms and run a fair distance if the mood takes me - sure as hell my partner couldn't do that, or many other parents I am friends with. I can run up flights of stairs without getting winded. Physical jobs at home are much easier.0
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TavistockToad wrote: »Compared to the 'average' person, yes I am fit... compared to people on here, nooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Totally this. There was a thread the other day which started with the question "do any reasonably fit people go out to restaurants and splurge on the regular or is it always reigned in by needing to keep fitness goals in mind?" Now that thread ended up being a train wreck because of the OP, but when I first read the question I thought, "ok, I can answer this, I'm reasonably fit, I'm at a healthy weight and BMI, I work out 5-6 days a week, I average 14K steps a day and can walk up stairs without getting winded, etc". Then when it progressed I realized they were talking about people with sub 15% body fat as the benchmark for "fit" and I left questioning my own definitions....
So I would agree, IRL I'm reasonably fit. In MFP world, I've got a long way to go...
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heck yes lol, I do 20000+ average steps a day, half of them are ran....I think that qualifies me as being fit and I feel fan-bloomin-tastic
(before my fitness journey began 3 yrs ago it bothered me to walk a couple of miles!)0 -
I don't like the question because the usual answer is to compare yourself to others when we know that's almost never good for anything.
In my tennis club, I am fit. In my crossfit box, I am near the bottom of the scaled group.
How does this give anybody an answer? Compare yourself to yourself yesterday. You are fitter than yesterday, last week, last year. It doesn't mean you stop, fit isn't the destination. Like being healthy isn't the destination.
We continue on and keep working to be able to do more than we did yesterday. If you are fitter than yesterday, that's awesome.0 -
The only thing I could think of to get an absolute (as opposed to relative to yourself or others) assessment was some kind of fitness test you could do. I did a web search and found a few, here is one example: sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1112.
For my own personal opinion, I've read a lot of your posts. I find it unlikely that someone that knows as much as you, is as passionate about it as you, and looks as fit as you do in your profile picture could be anything but fit. But that's just me :-)0 -
Yes I'm fit but I'm always striving to be the best me I can possibly be.
Fitter, better, faster, stronger #alwaysmovingforward0 -
What toad said, im pleased with where I am, but still working on it. Im a lot fitter, but i dont know where I want to set the bar. Is fitter than most people in your gym really fit? For weights then I know I have a whole series of cut and bulk in front of me to build myscle if thats the way i wnat to go.
My target has always been to get in the groups which are less at risk from medical complications.0 -
I think that my aerobic fitness is pretty good, but muscle tone and strength way down due to an injury. Still, I was surprised how much fitter I am than most women my age.0
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Considering that 2 years ago I could not run 1/8 of a mile without thinking I was going to die, and now a 10+ mile run doesn't phase me at all, yes I would say I am fit, for me anyway. Definitely fitter than most of those that I work with and most of the other late 50's group that I know. I think icck hit it out of the park: "Being able to go further, longer, harder on both workouts and day-to-day tasks than I could have ever considered before. Everything is easier to do because my body is better equipped."0
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By my own standards I don't consider myself fit. When I reach my fitness goals then I will say I'm fit!!0
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This is a great question and a great topic rabbit! Thanks for posting.
It's a hard question to answer because I don't think any of us truly see ourselves as others do.
If I compare my fitness now to where I started? Then yes... I am fit.
When I look in the mirror do I see a fit person? Mostly no... I mean, I see the good but I also see the flaws.
If I base my fitness on simple numbers then yeah, I am considered athlete level with all of my stats.
If I base my fitness on how I generally feel? Yes and no... I'm human, just like everyone else. As you mentioned I can do things physically I never imagined I could and I'm not afraid to try anything! But I still get tired, hungry, sore, cranky, etc. just like everyone else.
My workouts are highly intense and I burn well over 1500 a day in exercise alone (not about weight loss).
In my "fitness" mind, I am always in training in everything I do, always looking for the next challenge.
If I base my fitness level on what people tell me and/or how they percieve me? Well... I'd have to say yeah I'm fit.
So I guess my answer to the question is... I don't know LOL!
But I do know this: It will never be enough for me. In my mind there is no specific level of fitness high enough for me to stop.
I am happy, but will never be satisfied
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I consider myself fit. I can do a 20 mile run first thing in the morning and then after a shower and a cup of coffee spend the whole day playing and chasing my 4 y/o daughter around.
If I was comparing myself to a heavy lifter, then no I can't lift what they can at the moment but that doesn't mean I'm not fit. We are "fit" for the sports that we currently take part in.0 -
I'd say there's not a standard definition of "fit." I'm sure there's some label somewhere if you can do X pushups, run X miles at X age... but I don't buy it. It's a very personal thing.
To some extent I think your trainer is right - what more can you do? What's your next level? My tae kwon do teacher is an amazing fighter - fast, strong, can jump way high - and he's an awful runner. So is he "fit?" Absolutely. Can the middle-age moms who run regularly and chat through his interval training classes run faster and farther? Absolutely.
In college, I used to swim laps. I've always been, always will be, a bad swimmer. Because I could swim during the day, I swam with a bunch of little old ladies some of whom could barely walk -- but they sure could swim circles around me.
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 21. So even for myself, there are days when my capability level is really different. I feel like I need to push as hard as I can - so the bar gets set really low some days and pretty high on other days. And that's OK.
So am I fit? Yes. I think we (Rabbit and I) are similar (48, mothers, etc.) I can do more pushups than I've ever been able to do. My clothes all fit better. I exercise regularly and at a challenging level (though sometimes I could use more challenge). I eat mostly healthy food in some balance - with a little junk thrown in for mental health.
As I think about aging, my balance is good. My core strength is good. My general strength is good. My cardio is so-so. My weight is good. My general habits (eating & exercise) are good. Can I be better? Of course. But for me, I guess this is my definition of fit.0 -
I can dance for hours every week if I want. Some weeks I've danced 20+. Now, I can run a 5k. I average 17k steps per day. I think my general fitness is good. I am not particularly strong, though. I'm working on that.0
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If I compare myself to my immediate family and cousisn I am sure they cannot figure out how I have no medical issues like they do. Maybe because I have been exercising for years and years longer than some of them.0
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I feel like I'm much more fit than I was even last fall (when I started lifting weights), and more fit than I was several years ago when I was 75 pounds heavier. I've picked up new activities that I love, like mountain biking. I'm in my 50's, though, so I know that at this point, it's going to take real dedication to keep my fitness level up and/or increasing. And rationally, I really only care about my own personal fitness level for my own self-value.
But I can't help look around at the people in my life and compare. It's natural. I do see that in most cases, yes, I'm more fit than many of my colleagues and friends. And THEN....there's this group of people I mountain bike with. They're all older than me. The men (some in their early 70's!) go whizzing by me like the wind. And there is a woman who is a few years older than I am that just pumps away on the bike like it's nothing. Seriously. She gets so far ahead of me I simply can NOT understand why, no matter how hard I try, I can't keep up.
She's actually the reason I started lifting last fall, to be a stronger mountain biker. Not to "beat" her, really...I'd be happy just to keep up! So this spring, after all these months of heavy lifting, I thought I'd at least show some improvement relative to this person. Nope. Maybe a little bit, but we get on some long hills, or near the end of a long ride, and....there she goes, breezing by me. It kinda drives me crazy. I have to dial down my green monster and re-check in with my rational brain to give myself credit for being just who I am...but it still drives me nuts that I can't keep up with her.
So am I fit? I think so, but there are days when I know I either: 1) have a long ways to go; or 2) accept that I am fit for MYSELF. I continue to waffle about your OP question, then.0 -
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I'm definitely not fit, not with 50% BF.
While that is how you might feel you exercise right? I am pretty sure that your blood work has improve? You are trying to say since you are still high in weight that you are not fit. I don't think that is the case and you might be doing way better than the average at your body fat%. Maybe even using BMI in this case you might be better than the average.0 -
I judge my fitness by how capable I am. My brother recently stated that, even though he is much smaller than me, he knows he's not as fit as I am simply because I exercise and push myself. It's hard for thinner people to understand but a fat person who's been exercising regularly might have them beat simply because they get out and do it! If I were you, I'd look at how capable I am compared to people of similar body types. I'd look at my blood test results from my doc and things like my resting heart rate and blood pressure. Those are true measurements. If you're of a healthy BMI with outrageous cholesterol and high blood pressure, then I wouldn't consider you truly fit. Considering what you put yourself through, I would imagine this isn't the case.0
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I consider myself fit. I'm not try to win any contests or really to even improve myself, just maintain my "fitness". I look good naked (in my opinion, lol), can run 4-5 miles and enjoy it, keep up with my 5 year old or carry him on my back for a mile when he can't keep up with me, and don't restrict any planned activities because I don't think I can do them.0
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It's interesting reading other's viewpoints on this .. I sometimes find myself wanting absolute answers when none exist
and it's great to see how others think about similar subjects.
I shall remind myself that it was last October when I managed my first push-up ever in my life, and how I do adapted sets now and can beat my 14 year old son at a straight competition, and have even managed pull-ups (before injury), that I don't even notice that gradient up to the shops and I really really enjoy it.
I don't run so I suppose I don't have that distance / time thing to fall back on as a self-assessmentseiffertrk wrote: »The only thing I could think of to get an absolute (as opposed to relative to yourself or others) assessment was some kind of fitness test you could do. I did a web search and found a few, here is one example: sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1112.
For my own personal opinion, I've read a lot of your posts. I find it unlikely that someone that knows as much as you, is as passionate about it as you, and looks as fit as you do in your profile picture could be anything but fit. But that's just me :-)
and thank you for that ... made me smile 0 -
CarlydogsMom wrote: »I feel like I'm much more fit than I was even last fall (when I started lifting weights), and more fit than I was several years ago when I was 75 pounds heavier. I've picked up new activities that I love, like mountain biking. I'm in my 50's, though, so I know that at this point, it's going to take real dedication to keep my fitness level up and/or increasing. And rationally, I really only care about my own personal fitness level for my own self-value.
But I can't help look around at the people in my life and compare. It's natural. I do see that in most cases, yes, I'm more fit than many of my colleagues and friends. And THEN....there's this group of people I mountain bike with. They're all older than me. The men (some in their early 70's!) go whizzing by me like the wind. And there is a woman who is a few years older than I am that just pumps away on the bike like it's nothing. Seriously. She gets so far ahead of me I simply can NOT understand why, no matter how hard I try, I can't keep up.
She's actually the reason I started lifting last fall, to be a stronger mountain biker. Not to "beat" her, really...I'd be happy just to keep up! So this spring, after all these months of heavy lifting, I thought I'd at least show some improvement relative to this person. Nope. Maybe a little bit, but we get on some long hills, or near the end of a long ride, and....there she goes, breezing by me. It kinda drives me crazy. I have to dial down my green monster and re-check in with my rational brain to give myself credit for being just who I am...but it still drives me nuts that I can't keep up with her.
So am I fit? I think so, but there are days when I know I either: 1) have a long ways to go; or 2) accept that I am fit for MYSELF. I continue to waffle about your OP question, then.
Yeah I get this 0 -
OP - I got this off the lean gains site…might give you something to go by:
Respective goals for women:
For women in the 115-155-lb range, the corresponding advanced strength goals are 0.9 x body weight bench, 1.1 x body weight chin-up, 1.5 x body weight squat and 1.8 x body weight deadlift. Relative to men, women have much less muscle mass around the chest area and shoulder girdle (men have much higher androgen-receptor density in this particular area), but the lower body is comparativly strong to the upper body.
A 135-lb woman that has been training consistently for 5-10 years should then be expected to:
Bench press 120-125 lbs.
Do 4-5 chin-ups with body weight or do one with an extra 10-15 lbs hanging from her waist.
Squat 200-205 lbs.
Deadlift 225-230 lbs.0 -
Yes.0
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Fitter than I was, not as fit as I want to be!0
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